BMWK: It’s clear from your memoir that you experienced a lot of church hurt but are healing from that and finding your place and voice in the church world. How do you recommend people deal with “church hurt”?
Sarah: Yes, I’ve battled myself with church hurt. I think that we make the people our god instead of the bridge that allows us to access God. We have a responsibility to not deify them, and [we have to] give them the ability to be human and to disappoint us and mess up without pushing us further from God.
BMWK: What is your hope for the impact your book will have on the institution of the church and on how we interact in church?
Sarah: I have incredible hopes for the book in church. I want people to see that one of the most respected leaders within the church had a daughter who had her own struggles. Life doesn’t spare anyone, and we have to learn to be more grace-filled when people approach us and are empty. I think we judge people until they are one of us, and then we are shocked when those among us have a problem too.
BMWK: What are you hoping people are going to get from “Lost and Found”?
Sarah: I hope that they see themselves even in the challenges. That is what made me so nervous about “Lost and Found.” I don’t want them to read it and see me, even though my scars are on display. I want [the book] to be a mirror. I want them to see themselves and then wonder what [are they] hiding, what do [they] have buried that [they] haven’t fully forgiven yet.
No one is perfect: from the pulpit to the pew, we all need the space and grace to grow into who God has created us to be.
Sarah’s story, like all of ours, testifies to the fact that no one is perfect: from the pulpit to the pew, we all need the space and grace to grow into who God has created us to be. To learn about Sarah Jakes and to purchase her book, visit SarahJakes.com.
BMWK family, share your thoughts with Sarah about her decision to share her story and struggles in the church with the world.
Your mistakes will be your greatest testimonies! God Bless
Absolutely!
What a phenomenal interview, it revealed things about Sara’s past that I never knew. It is liberating to read that others are in their process just like we are in ours. I feel compelled to read the book.
Oh, you won’t be able to put it down. It’s a page turner.
Great article Dr Michelle! It’s so important that we extend grace to people. As a mother of three grown daughters, I had to ask God to help me with that. I try very hard to keep my love for my daughters in the forefront when they come to me for advice. I try not to be hat mother who judges them as they go through the process of finding their position as women in the church and in every area of their lives. It really is a process that we have to go through in our own unique way!
That’s a great word for me too. I want to be that mother. When you read it, you will see how Lady Jakes mothered her daughter in spite of.